The Eye of Time – Myth II A Need To Survive Review

Experimental Post Rock Electronica That Goes Straight For The Feels

Veering off into the world of highly experimental The Eye of Time, the moniker French composer Marc Euvrie, we have the second in a trilogy of EP’s being released that are quite difficult to categorise because of the genre-bending and melting ways. My best attempt is that if you took a post-punk rocker, placed them in 2001 A Space Odyssey and then had Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith noodling with synths in the background – you’d be close to The Eye of Time.

The Eye of Time

Opening with the pointed yearning of “There Is So much Pain in This World We Have Created Robots to Share It” we are transfixed by bubbling arpeggios that create a sense of wonderment and excitement in the mind. Over the songs six minutes, the track because more electric guitar driven until the excited synths are drowned in a sea of wailing guitars that sound like they are crying over and over. There are some nifty production tricks here too as violins, voice and electric guitar are moulded together to create a joint sound of their own which sounds both human and robotic. “In The Name Of Earth” is a post-rock purge with a thick industrial drum loop that smashes the speakers with its heavy bass whilst the electric guitars and synth brass arrangement brood and builds in angst as if the song itself is riling up, getting ready for a monumental attack. It’s both a great audio narrative and extremely cinematic. The angst turns to dystopian confusion with a washed out synth orchestra and pipe organ drudging through a dense and heavy fog of sounds and chords. The keyboards take over from halfway as frequency twists flow into the mix with vocal samples that combine to create an emergency wave of sirens. Apocalyptic is a thought that comes to mind as bells toll, electric guitar solo’s wallow and the tripped beat is slow and dramatic. “A Need To Survive” then takes violins and plays a cyclic chord structure that is boosted by the running tabula rasa percussion of traditional wooden and electric pulsating beats. It feels like a desperate escape is taking place and the track itself has a wonderful way of merging lots of organ and string sounds together to create a dense haze without singling out specific instruments. “Foldings” feels a bit more positive for me because of the dancing bleeps in the first half signals to me an opening of senses and eyes. It feels like we’ve escaped and pulled clear and that comes home to me when for the final third of the amazing track, everything crashes together to create an eerie but cathartic rising of the ashes. Everything is still exploding and wailing around you but there’s a weird sense of clarity in all the confusion – it reminds me of the films Oblivion and Gravity’s closing sequences in terms of tone although it is far more electronic. That leaves us to close with “Notre Amour Est Assez Puissant Por Detrui” where the album comes full Sigur Ros and explodes into a joyous shoegaze rock anthem of the joy of huge chords, mass guitar soundscapes and massive reverb on every drum smash known to man. It’s an ending that fits the release perfectly and leaves you utterly elated with a bit of reflection for what’s gone before.

Myth II A Need To Survive is a musical masterpiece in abstract storytelling. This won’t be for everyone and it will require you to either switch off and let your mind and body take over, or for you to give all of your senses to it to get the most out of the album. The Eye of the Mind has a vast palette of sounds and thoughts but the overwhelming takeaway for me was the emotional journey I went on with it and from out of absolutely nowhere I was transported to all kinds of thoughts. This perhaps is one for the post-rockers who enjoy a smash of electronica in their mix – you’ll get all the feels.

Recommended track: In the Name of Earth

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The Eye of Time - Myth II A Need To Survive

8.5

Higher Plain Music Rating

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Published by Simon Smith

I run the websites Higher Plain Music, Higher Plain Games, I Love Disaster Movies, Failcast F1 and when not doing that I'm stuffing my face with food and making music as Sitorimon. I am generally knackered but loving life!
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